Crafts

 

1. Paper Bird

Give each child two circles cut out of light blue construction paper. One circle needs to be a little smaller than the other one. Have the child glue these circles on dark blue construction paper. Use the large circle as the body and the smaller circle as the head. Let the kids decorate the bird with feathers and add eyes and a beak out of paper.

2. Tropical Paper Plate Bird

Paint the back side of a paper plate any color you want and let dry. Cut feather shapes out of various colors of construction paper. Cut a circle out of black construction paper for an eye and an orange triangle for a beak. Fold the paper plate in half and staple on the edge opposite the fold. Put the triangle in the fold of the plate on one edge and staple in place to make the beak. Glue on eye. Glue on construction paper feather shapes where the wings should be. Cut a few strips of tissue paper, streamers, etc. to make the tail. They should be a variety of lengths and about 1-2 inches wide. Gather them up at one end and put them in the fold of the plate opposite the beak and staple in place.

3. Tissue Paper Bird

Cut out simple bird silhouette shape from card. Give children box of coloured craft feathers to stick onto bird shape. Another good way to teach colours.

4. Squawking Toucan Beaks

Make a cone shape with white construction paper. Let them decorate their "beaks" with colorful tissue paper. Use a hole punch to make a hole on each side and tie a piece of yarn to each side to hold the beak onto the child's face.

5. Bag Owls

Loosely stuff a bag full of crumbled newspaper. Bring the top together & fold the two outer edges in toward the center & glue to form a point. Fold the point down. Cut eyes & feet from construction paper & glue to the owl.

 

Circle Activity

 

1. Two Little Birds

Two little black birds. . .sitting on a hill

One named Jack . .. one named Jill

Fly away Jack. . .fly away Jill

Come back Jack. . .come back Jill

Two little blue birds. . Sitting on a hill

One named Jack . .. one named Jill

Fly away Jack. . Fly away Jill

Come back Jack. . Come back Jill

Two little red birds. . Sitting on a hill

One named Jack . .. one named Jill

Fly away Jack. . Fly away Jill

Come back Jack. . Come back Jill

Use the children's names in the fingerplay.

2. Bird Activity and Song

Make a tree with no leaves that is large enough to fit your flannel board. Make at least one felt bird of each of these colors: red, yellow, green, purple, orange, blue, black, brown. (You can make more than one of each color if neccessary---so each child will have one.) Give each child a colored bird. Place the tree on the flannel board. Song:

Little Red bird in the tree

in the tree, in the tree

Little Red bird in the tree

Sing me a song.

The child or children who have a red bird places the bird on the tree and sings "Tweet Tweet." Repeat for each color. This is great for children to review their colors.

3. Humming Birds

Five humming birds flying in the air (Hold up five fingers)

The first one landed in my hair (Grab little finger)

The second and third were a pair. (Touch index finger and thunb together.)

The fourth humming bird didn't care. (grab ring finger.)

The fifth humming bird hummed everywhere (Touch middle finger and hum loudly)

4. Robin Red Breast

Way up high, little robin flying just so (put hands up as high as possible)

Quick down low for a worm he must go (put hands low, almost touching the floor)

With a wing on the left and a wing on the right, (extended arms one at a time)

Fly to your nest for soon it will be night (flapping arms like flying)

5. Five Little Ducks

5 little ducks went out one day

Over the hills and far away,

Mommy (daddy) duck called quack quack quack,

But only 4 little ducks came back.

4 little ducks went out one day

Over the hills and far away,

Mommy (daddy) duck called quack quack quack,

But only 3 little ducks came back.

3 little ducks went out one day

Over the hills and far away,

Mommy (daddy) duck called quack quack quack,

But only 2 little ducks came back.

2 little ducks went out one day

Over the hills and far away,

Mommy (daddy) duck called quack quack quack,

But only 1 little duck came back.

1 little duck went out one day

Over the hills and far away,

Mommy (daddy) duck called quack quack quack,

But no little ducks came wondering back.

No little ducks went out one day

Over the hills and far away,

Mommy (daddy) duck called quack quack quack,

And 5 little ducks came wandering back.

 

Songs

 

1. Little White Duck

There's a little white duck (quack)

Sittin' in the water

There's a little white duck (quack)

Doin what he oughter.

He took a bite of the lily pad

Flapped his wings & he said,

"I'm glad, I'm a little white duck

Sittin' in the water."

(Quack, quack, quack)

2. Swans In The Park - sung to "Rock-a-Bye Baby"

Swans glide across the pond in the park,

With feathers so white and beaks that are dark.

They spread out there wings and take to the air.

The swans fly away, but I don't know where.

3. I Had A Little Rooster

I had a little rooster by the old barn gate

And that little rooster was my playmate

And that little rooster went cock-a-doodle-do

Dee-doodley-doodley-doodley-do

4. Owl in the Tree (Sung To: Skip to my Lou)

Owl in the tree says, who, who, who

Owl in the tree says, who, who, who

Owl in the tree says, who, who, who

Who, who, are you? (point to a child and have them say their name)

5. Mary's Canary

Mary had a pretty bird,

Feathers bright and yellow,

Slender legs -- upon my word,

He was a pretty fellow.

The sweetest note he always sung,

Which much delighted Mary?

She often, where the cage was hung,

Sat hearing her canary.

 

Stories

 

1. Baby Bird's First Nest by Frank Asch

When Baby Bird takes a tumble from her mama's nest in the middle of the night, she finds a friend in Little Frog.

2. Birds A to Z by Terri DeGezelle

Introduces the world of birds through photographs and facts which describe one for each letter of the alphabet.

3. Gossie & Gertie by Olivier Dunrea

Gossie and Gertie are best friends and everywhere Gossie goes, Gertie goes too--except when she doesn't, and sometimes that's even better.

4. Owl Babies by Martin Waddell

Three owl babies whose mother has gone out in the night try to stay calm while she is gone.

5. Plenty of Penguins by Sonia W. Black

Illustrations and brief text describe different kinds of penguins.

6. The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack

A little duck finds adventure on the Yangtze River when he is too late to board his master's houseboat one evening.

7. Birds by Angela Royston

Brief text and photographs introduce the sparrow, duck, eagle, parrot, kiwi, flamingo, hummingbird, and owl.

8. Bird Watching with Bert

Many of sesame street characters go on a picnic and meet different types of birds on the way.

 

General Activities

 

1. Flying Parrots

Let the children put on their parrot beaks from the cut & color table. If you have colorful scarves, let them take turns making their scarves dance as they fly through the air squawking like a parrot. The teacher should be wearing a beak. She should fly first and call to her babies to fly with her. If you do not have colorful scarves, use paper streamers. Ahead of time, cut paper streamers into long strips and tape them together at one end. The children can make the streamers dance as they fly through the air.

2. Birds Sounds

Listen to different bird sounds and try and make the sound afterwards.

3. Bird Watching

Put out binoculars for the children to pretend they are bird watching and seeking.